Teen Birth Rates Down For All Races, Hispanic Teen Rate Down by 12%

The birth rate for U.S. teens aged 15–19 years hit a record low in 2010, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 has declined for the last three years and 17 out of the past 19 years, falling to 34.3 births per 1,000 teenagers in 2010 – a 9 percent decline from 2009 and the lowest rate ever recorded in nearly seven decades of collecting data. Birth rates for younger and older teenagers and for all race/ethnic groups reached historic lows in 2010.

Teenage birth rates for ages 15-19, 15-17, and 18-19 declined significantly for all race and Hispanic origin groups. Declines for ages 15-19 ranged from 9 percent each for non-Hispanic white (to 23.5 per 1,000 in 2010) and non- Hispanic black teenagers (51.5) to 12 percent for American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) (38.7) and Hispanic teenagers (55.7).